Sunday, September 27, 2009

2009 has turned into the Black Eyed Peas’ year. They scored the longest running #1 song of the year this past spring and summer when “Boom Boom Pow” racked up seven weeks at #1. Now they have matched that mark by putting together seven straight weeks at the top with their follow up, “I Gotta Feeling”. And don’t look now but here comes the follow up, “Meet Me Halfway” entering the Top 40 this week at #36.

While Black Eyed Peas are dominating the #1 spot, Taylor Swift has #2 locked in. This is her sixth straight week at the runner up spot with “You Belong With Me”. She is trying to match the Peas with her second #1 hit of the year. She reached the top back in February with “Love Story”.

Kings Of Leon are also learning how to be patient as they hold at #3 for a third consecutive week with their first Top 5 hit, “Use Somebody”. In fact, the entire Top 5 hold their spots from a week ago. Jay Sean’s first Top 5 hit, “Down” featuring Lil Wayne is at #4 for a second week. And Miley Cyrus’ second Top 5 effort, “Party In The U.S.A.”, notches a second week at #5.

Jordin Sparks first reached #6 with “Battlefield” on August 2. She spend four weeks at that spot before slipping back down but this week she returns to the #6 spot for a fifth non consecutive week by leaping three spots.

Also making a 3-spot move is Boys Like Girls with “LoveDrunk”. They move from 10-7 with their second Top 10 hit. They are looking to top their biggest hit to date, “The Great Escape”.

Making the biggest move in the entire Top 40 this week is young Jason DeRulo. He rockets from 16-9 with “Whatcha Say”. it becomes his first Top 10 hit song.

Mariah Carey is no stranger to Top 10 hits. She scored her first Top 10 hit in 1990 with “Vision Of Love”. 19 years later she moves from 14-10 with “Obsessed”.

The Top 20 has a couple big movers this week. Lady GaGa is looking for a fourth consecutive #1 hit to start her career as she moves from 20-14 with “Paparazzi”. And there is one new song in the Top 20. Jay-Z, Rihanna & Kanye West sprint from 26-20 with “Run This Town”.

The bottom half of the Top 40 also features a couple songs making 5-plus notch moves. 3Oh!3 who reached #1 this summer with “Don’t Trust Me”, jump from 30-25 with their follow up, “Starstrukk”. And Sean Kingston matches Jason DeRulo for the biggest move this week with “Face Drop”, which moves from 39-32.

Three songs debut in the Top 40 this week. Minnesota native Owl City scores his first Top 40 hit this week with “Fireflies” at #30. As mentioned before, Black Eyed Peas bow at #36 with “Meet Me Halfway. The Peas have three songs in the Top 40 this week a “Boom Boom Pow” is still at #33. And Pink debuts at #40 with the titled track from her album “Funhouse”. She is back to back with her former Top 5 hit “Please Don’t Leave Me” which is at #39.

After 55 weeks in the Top 40, “I’m Yours” by Jason Mraz slips out of the Top 40. The new oldest song this week tallies just barely half of Jason Mraz’s total. Black Eyed Peas have been on the survey for 28 weeks with “Boom Boom Pow”. My iTunes new picks of the week:“In The Low Country”, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers“Church Music” (album), David Crowder Band“Trying”, Elevntyseven“Be Alive In Me”, Abandon“Wait On You”, Attaboy“My Sweet Escape”, Run Kid Run“Hey, Sould Sister”, Train“Broken Strings”, Carefree“Superstar”, David May“Heart Heart Heartbreak”, Boys Like Girls“Sad Song”, Blake Lewis“Electric Car”, They Might Be Giants“Straight Through My Heart”, Backstreet Boys“The Reeling”, Passion Pit“Two Rebels”, Honor Society“Two Is Better Than One”, Boys Like Girls featuring Taylor Swift“Bulletproof”, La Roux

For more Rock-It! including complete charts and pics, visit www.songerstudio.com

Sunday, September 6, 2009

There are some great new albums out this week. Imogen Heap and Collective Soul are a couple of note. But I want to focus on a couple new jazz albums.

Check out Eldar Djangirov, born in Kyrgyzstan (then the USSR) and grew up in Kansas City. He is a great jazz pianist. His progressive release "Virtue" is a breath of fresh air.

Also, jazz trumpet star Roy Hargrove has a great big band album out called "Emergence". Not often that you see big band albums crack the Top 15 on the jazz charts these days unless it features a vocalist. But this one has done it. And it's very good.

The Black Eyed Peas hold at #1 for a fourth straight week with the second hit from their #1 album “The E.N.D.”, “I Gotta Feeling”. This is the Peas’ second consecutive #1 song and third overall. They spent seven weeks at the top with “Boom Boom Pow” earlier this summer. They also reached #1 back in 2003 for five weeks with “Where Is The Love”. In Billboard, they set a rock era record this week with 21 straight weeks at #1 between “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling”.

19-year old country phenom Taylor Swift holds at #2 this week with “You Belong With Me”. This is her third Top 5 hit. She reached #5 in 2007 with “Teardrops On My Guitar” and then wen all the way to #1 with “Love Story” this year. “You Belong With Me” is also currently the #1 country hit. Taylor is the first artist since Faith HIll with “Breathe” in 2000 to have a song simultaneously in the Top 3 on both charts.

Keri Hilson is making her second Top 5 appearance. She holds at #3 with “Knock You Down” featuring Kanye West & Ne-Yo. Keri went all the way to #1 two years ago when she was featured on Timbaland’s “The Way I Are”.

Up from 5-4 this week is Kings Of Leon. They already reached #1 on the rock chart with “Sex On Fire” and “Use Somebody”. This is the first pop hit for the Nashville, Tennessee band.

New York rock dance quintet Cobra Starship rebound from 6-5 this week with their first hit, “Good Girls Go Bad” featuring Leighton Meester. They jumped to their peak of #5 two weeks ago before slipping back a notch last week.

19-year old Arizona star Jordin Sparks spends a second week at #7 after four straight weeks at #6 with “Battlefield”. This is her fourth Top 10 hit and it continues to gain airplay. Last year she visited the Top 10 her other three times with “Tattoo”, “One Step At A Time” and “No Air” with Chris Brown.

British rapper Jay Sean joined the Top 10 last week for the first time in his young career. The 28-year old newcomer holds at #8 this week with “Down” featuring Lil Wayne.

The fourth Top 10 smash for former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry is doing well. His band Daughtry holds at #9 with “No Surprise”. Daughtry went to #1 in 2007 with “It’s Not Over” and then #4 with “Home”. In 2008 he reached #9 with “Feels Like Tonight”.

There is one new song in the Top 10 this week. 32-year old Colombian star Shakira is back with “She Wolf”. This week she moves from 11-10. This is her fourth Top 10 hit and first since going to #1 in 2006 with “Hips Don’t Lie”. Shakira first hit the Top 10 way back in 2001 with “Whenever, Wherever”.

Two songs tie for the biggest move in the Top 40 this week. Miley Cyrus is bunring up the Top 40 with her latest, “Party In The U.S.A.”. Two weeks ago the song rocketed from 40-19. This week she is up from 18-12. Matching the 16-year old is 43-year old Michael Franti who along with his band Spearhead move from 27-21 with “Say Hey (I Love You)”.

There is one new song in the Top 20 this week. Rob Thomas scores his second Top 20 solo hit with “Her Diamonds” which moves from 21-20. His other Top 20 appearance was in 2005 with the #7 hit “Lonely No More”. The 37-year old superstar also owns eleven Top 20 hits with his band matchbox twenty and a #1 hit as the featured singer on Santana’s “Smooth”.

There are two new songs in the Top 40 this week. Colbie Caillat has the highest debut with “Fallin’ For You” at #35. It is from the new #1 album in the country, “Breakthrough”. This is the 24-year old’s third Top 40 hit. “Bubbly” and “Realize” both went Top 10. And Lady GaGa keeps the hit parade going with “Paprazzi” at #38. She is looking for her fourth consecutive #1 hit to start a career.

Other chart information of note this week: Lady GaGa is back to back this week at #38 with “Paparazzi” and at #39 with “Poker Face”. She is also at #14 with ‘LoveGame” and #66 with “Just Dance”. Green Day re-enters the Top 40 this week at #37 with “21 Guns” Jason Mraz has the oldest song in the Top 40 again this week with “I’m Yours” It has now been in the Top 40 for 53 weeks which is one week more than a year. On the Billboard Hot 100, the song reaches its 71st week which is an all time rock era record, two weeks longer than the old record by Leeann Rimes’ “How Do I Live”. My iTunes new picks of the week:“Sexy Chick”, David Guetta featuring Akon“Awake And Alive”, Skillet“Blues Sketch In Clave”, Eldar Djangirov“Insensitive”, Eldar Djangirov“Ms. Garvey, Ms. Garvey”, Roy Hargrove Big Band

For more Rock-It! including charts and pics, visit www.songerstudio.com

About Me

I'm originally from southeastern Wisconsin and did my undergrad at UW-Eau Claire. I currently reside in Chaska, Minnesota where I teach middle school music and perform in the Twin Cities area. I am married and have two kids: Caleb (8) and Abby (2)